Machine for cleaning and polishing studs and the like



y' 1947- E's. GREENE 2,424,160

MACHINE FOR CLEANING AND POLISHING STUDS AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 31, 1944 rivmvroa E/ms? 6. Gets/vs Patented July 15, 1947 MACHINE FOR CLEANING AND POLISHING STUDS AND THE LIKE Elmer G. Greene, Lakewood, Ohio, vassignor to The Ferry Cap & Set Screw Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application August 31, 1944, Serial No. 552,187

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a cleaning and polishing machine adapted particularly for cleaning and polishing threaded studs, bolts, and the like.

It is old to clean devices of this character by feeding them along a given pathway and subjecting them to the brushing action of a wire brush. However, this type of machine has the objection that the brush becomes filled or clogged with grease, dirt, chips, and the like, and must be shortly replaced with a new one.

The principal object of the present invention is to provide in association with the brush for cleaning and polishing threaded studs, bolts, and the like, a device for keeping the brush in clean condition so that it may be used until the wires or bristles are entirely worn away.

A further object is to provide means engageable with the articles to be cleaned for feeding them into contact with and beyond a rotating brush which cleans and polishes them.

The first object is attained very effectively by providing a rotating abrasive wheel which engages the brush and cleans it, and the second object is attained by providing a tilted roller, preferably formed of rubber, which engages the articles to be cleaned so as to feed them to and past the brush, this roller, by cooperating with the brush, serving to keep the articles in the line of feed.

The invention may be further briefly summarized as consisting in certain details of construction and combination and arrangements of parts which will be described in the specification and set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying sheet of drawings illus- :rating the preferred embodiment of the invenion,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my improved brushing machine; and

Fig. 2 is a detail view showing the rotating brush, the abrasive cleaning device for the wires or bristles of the brush, and a feeding device for feeding threaded studs or the like to and past the brush.

Referring now to the drawings, I represents a container or hopper into which a quantity of the studs or other articles to be cleaned and polished is placed. This hopper is supported on a standard II from a stand I2 which in turn is supported on a platform or base I 3. Under the stand l2 and supported on the base I3 is an electric motor l4 which drives at high speed a brush l5, which is preferably a wire brush, which thoroughly cleans and polishes the studs or other articles to be cleaned, in this instance studs I6 being shown.

The studs I6 are preferably fed by hand into the upper end of a tube H which extends through the bottom of the hopper l0, this tube gradu- 2 ally changing from vertical to horizontal position, being supported near its lower end by a bracket I8 on one of the legs of the stand I 2..

The studs pass by gravity down through the tube I1 and onto a substantially L-shaped horizontally disposed guide I9 and from there onto .a narrow and somewhat curved supporting guide 20. This guide 20 supports the studs while they are-being cleaned and polished and, in fact, may be a continuation of the guide I9. Opposite the brush I5 this guide 2!] is very narrow (see Fig. 2) so that it will not be engaged either by the brush or by a stud feeding device to be referred to presentlyf After the brushing operation is completed, the studs pass along the guide 20 betweena pair of angle members 2| supported by a stand .22 and into a receiving receptacle, the stand 22 being mounted on the base I3.

Coming now to the features involving the present invention,.it will be noted that the brush is engaged by a wheel 23, which is an abrasive wheel, which keeps the wire brush I5 from being clogged by grease, dirt, and particles of metal which are cleaned from the studs I6. This abrasive wheel is mounted on a pin or shaft 24 carriedby a lever 25 pivoted at 26 in a standard 2'! which is secured to the base I3. The .pin 23 ismounted between the ends of the lever 25, and on the end opposite the end carrying the abrasive wheel the lever is provided with an adjustable weight 28 which can be adjusted to various positions and secured in position by a screw 29. This weight serves to hold the abrasive wheel 23 against the wire brush I5, and by adjusting its position, the pressure of the abrasive wheel on the wire brush may be varied in accordance with different conditions arising incident to an eifective and thorough cleaning of the brush.

The pin 24 carrying the abrasive wheel has secured to it a grooved pulley 30 adapted to be engaged by an endless belt 3|, in this instance a crossed belt, which engages also a grooved pulley 32 mounted on a shaft 33 carrying also a roller 34 which serves to feed the studs from the lower end of the tube II along the guiding members I9 and 20 into contact with the wire brush. This roller 34 is preferably formed of fairly soft rubber although it may be formed of other materials. The feed of the studs alon the path just stated is accomplished by reason of the fact that the roller is supported inv an in clined or tilted position. The rubber roller 34 and the abrasive wheel 23 are driven from an electric motor 35 which is mounted on a tiltable platform 36 connected by hinges 31 to the base I3 of the machine, the angular position of the platform being adjustable by means of an adjusting device 38.

The rubber roller 34 and the pin or shaft 33 are rotatively supported by means of a journal 39 secured to the tiltable platform 36 and they are driven from the shaft of the motor 35 which stands at right angles to the shaft 33 by speed reducing and right angle drive gearing in a case 40. The rubber roller 34, by reason of its tilted position which can be adjusted by the. adjusting device 38, serves to feed the studs forwardly so that they will be cleaned and polished by the wire brush l5 and it pushes them forwardly along. the guides I9 and so that they may drop off the guide into a receptacle (not shown); The roller 34 also performs the further function that it and the wire brush l5 hold the studs on the guide 20 while the studs are being brushed by the brush l5. It is to be noted that, although the roller 34 and the brush [5 are rotating in opposite directions, ator adjacent the studs, their peripheral travel is downward on opposite sides of the studs so as to hold the latter on the guide 20. At the same time, through the cross belt 3|, the abrasive wheel 23 is driven at a relatively slow rate in. the same direction of rotation as the direction of rotation of the wire brush, but it should be noted that the contacting or engaging surfaces of the brushand wheel are movin in opposite directions. This results in the proper flexure or bending of the bristles of the brush to separate the same and dislodge chips, dirt and other foreign matter carried by the brush; Itwill be seen that the peripheral surface ofv the abrasive wheel in contact with the brush bristles is movin in the opposite direction from the direction of movement of the bristles and that said peripheral surface engages that side and portion of the bristles which previously had engaged and passed across the article. Therefore the abrasive wheel will exert its cleaning action on the side and portion of the bristles most likely to have dirt or other matter adhered thereto. Inasmuch as the brush is rotating rapidly, the return flexure of the bristles to normal position as the bristles disengage from the abrasive wheel will act to dislodge and eject fro-m the brush chips and other foreign matter not previously removed by the abrasive wheel.

Thus it will be seen that the objects of the invention are attained very effectively by the present invention, and while I have shown the preferred construction, I do not desire to be confined to the precise details shown and described but aim in my claims to cover all modifications which do not involve a departure from the spirit and the scope of the invention in its broader aspects.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a machine for cleaning studs and like articles, a high speed rotating brush, an abrasive wheel disposed beneath said brush, a lever havin bearings for said wheel, driving means independent of said brush for rotating said wheel at low speed to clean and dress said brush, and adjustable overbalancing means for said lever to yieldinglysupport: the wheel against said brush.

2. In a machine for cleaning studs and like articles, a high speed rotating brush, means for feeding the articles to be cleaned to and past the. brush at one side thereof, an abrasive wheel engaging the brush on the lower side of the latter for cleaning and dressing it, said feeding means comprising a guide and a feed roller on the side of the guide remote from said brush, means independent, of' the brush for driving said roller at low speed, and a driving connection from said roller tosaid abrasive wheel for turning the latter to cause its brush engaging surface to move in a direction opposed to that of the brush.

3. Ina machine of the character described, a high speed rotating brush, a work guide for directing work pieces across the periphery of said brush, a work-piece feeding roller on the side of said guide opposite said brush, a platform carryin a journal in which said roller is mounted, said platform carrying also a motor and a speed reducer operatively connected with said roller, hinge means upon which said platform is mounted, and adjustablemeans for varying the inclination of said platform the axis of said hinge means being so related to the axis of said guide that the angular relation between said roller and said guide maybe altered.

ELMER G. GR ENE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of. record in. the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,483,748. Sanford Feb. 12, 1924 2,297,976 Nachtman Oct. 6, 1942 1,848,676 Swanson Mar. 8, 1932 445,359 Webster Jan. 27, 1891 1,735,867 Kern Nov. 19, 1929 2,041,764 Herrmann May 26, 1936 2,278,944 Quigley et a1 Apr. 7, 1942 948,688 Kirkegaard Feb. 8, 1910 1,705,767 Izawa Mar. 19, 1929 

